abraxaslogs | EVENT #23: CROSSROADS

EVENT #23: CROSSROADS - IC LOG

Event #23 - Crossroads

For the past few weeks, you've been stranded in a foreign territory or have had others stranded with you. Officials have assured everyone that the situation is temporary. They've been working hard to secure negotiations that would return everyone home...if that's what you want, of course. For anybody who wishes to stay in their new territory, authorities have promised that this is entirely possible. No one will be forced to go back if they don't want to.

The letter that arrives in the second week of February will say as much. It'll also emphasize that you must go to the exchange and that every Summoned has to be accounted for, or else the exchange may fall through. Even if you don't plan on returning - or you were never sent somewhere else to begin with - you'll still have to come.

The meeting will be held on neutral ground near the Singularity's now expanded crater but at a safe enough distance away. On FEBRUARY 18, portals will open to take you there.

While we will detail the incident leading up to characters fleeing, the majority of the event will be focused on characters surviving in their respective scenarios.

Remember: once you've chosen a SCENARIO for your character, they'll be rescued by the minor territory assigned to that scenario and will stay in that territory for the duration of March.

At the Exchange

The air of late winter is crisp even in the barren landscape around the crater. The Singularity stands tall and silent to the natives, but the Summoned will feel an electricity in the air. It might be magic seeping out from the cracked ground or it might be the tension that weaves the three mightiest nations closer together. The last time all three met here was for the Peace Summit three years ago. Now they meet again on the brink of war.

The territories have assured you that they anticipate everything to go smoothly. As you arrive, there is an attempt to cultivate a friendly atmosphere: Thorne has brought warm fur cloaks for anyone accidentally in the Free Cities who may be without, the Free Cities steps forward to announce compensation for any Summoned who were employed and could not attend to their job or business under the circumstances, and Solvunn declares it will be hosting an evening feast once all the Summoned have been returned to their rightful places. You even see Thornean mages and Free Cities officials chatting diplomatically, if superficially.

But as the exchange gets underway, the atmosphere begins to shift...and suddenly, nothing is as it seems.

Chaos Erupts

As a Summoned, you feel an electricity in the air. It might be magic seeping out from the cracked ground or it might be the tension that weaves the three mightiest nations.

Stillness falls across the gathering as each side waits for the other to make the first offering. An introduction that necessitates negotiation.

It never comes.

A flash from the north blinds you. Thunder drowns out all sound. The sharp scent of practiced magic rises into the air. Gunfire cracks in response. As explosions erupt around you, the facsimile of diplomacy tears like wet paper. Shouts are barely audible as soldiers, guards, and village elders rush forward.

You find yourself pulled between forces. Are they trying to hurt you, save you, or something else? A Thornean guard pushes you to the side. You can't tell if you were deliberately shoved into the line of fire or if it was an accident in the chaos. Someone else grabs you: a hooded Elder bearing the symbols of the Old Gods and urging you to come with them to safety. They can protect you from these dangerous nations, the Elder insists. The Gods have spoken.

As mayhem bleeds into the ground, the crater begins to shift and grow, reaching out to feed. The earth trembles. The soldiers, guards, and Elders notice too late as the crater expands far quicker than anyone could expect. It shatters stone, uproots trees, and swallows whole the natives who cannot withstand its powerful energy. They disintegrate in front of your eyes. Others cry out warnings and begin to flee - but they can't outrun the Singularity.

You are different. If you are one of the older Summoned, you'll remember being able to enter the Singularity's crater. In the past, it's dragged you into the Horizon...but not this time. Instead, you feel lulled by the crater's encroaching borders. You wonder if your best chance at surviving is to step into the crater where no native of Abraxas can reach you. Some of you might run toward it as a result of this conclusion. But, you may also have your doubts. If you try to flee with the rest, you'll find that you, too, cannot outrun the Singularity. As its reach extends across the entire swathe of neutral territory, you are inevitably sucked into its embrace and flung into a whirlwind.

On the Run

As you are teleported through a whirling vortex, you glimpse flashes of your domain in the Horizon. Indeed, for a few moments, it appears as though the domain itself has emerged and is now in the real world with you. Then you blink, and the sight vanishes, leaving you discombobulated.

Once you've gathered your wits, you realize you're nowhere near the original exchange site. If you attempt to use your powers, the effects are unintended: your fire spell causes rain to fall instead, or perhaps you accidentally summon a broomstick instead of your sword. It might last for a couple of hours or it might last for longer. The more powerful the ability, the longer it seems to take for it to start working correctly.

Regardless, you'll need to find each other somehow. Luckily, the Network is still working, so you can communicate with one another at a distance.

Northern Mountains

Though spring is on its way, the mountains are a tundra. Temperatures are frosty, but not as icy as they would've been a month ago. Maybe you've brought some warm clothes with you or the others have a spare cloak they've packed. You might've even brought a snack or some warming potions. Anything will help as you gather your bearings and try to determine where to go next.

If you were unlucky enough to have been one of the victims of Josselyn Creed's cult, you may recognize these ridges. Of course, everything rather looks the same when it's snowy and full of trees, but it's certainly possible to discern that you've been in these mountains before.

Characters in this scenario will go to NOCWICH.

Threats

◎ Revenant

A hoarfrost revenant has lived on these peaks for centuries. He cannot be killed. You can only run or chase him away, but he'll soon return. Take care not to stay in one place too long. A rattling chain and blue-flamed lantern announce his coming. His touch brings instant death, made clear by the frozen carcasses of animals left in his path.

With your arrival, he is now prowling in search of you...but if you encountered him before on these mountains, you'll notice that something's different this time: he does not attack. Instead, he will stand and watch - and if you, too, watch him for too long, you'll begin to grow warm. You'll then subsequently be overcome with the urge to remove your stifling layers of clothing despite the plummeting temperatures. Best hope someone not under his sway snaps you out of it.

◎ Whiteout

In the morning, you might be eager to get moving again. Perhaps you've been assigned foraging duties or you need to search for more firewood. As you leave your makeshift shelter, you realize the wind is whipping. Soon, a thick blizzard swirls around you, blanketing your surroundings in white. In the distance, you hear eerie howls...and you're not sure where you are anymore.

Be careful you don't trip and fall. With some concentration, you should still be able to find your way back home with the limited visibility...or, you might get lucky and somebody will come to your aid.

Resources

Though the mountains are dangerous, they also have what you need - if you know where to look. Snow hares can be hunted for food and any rations you might've had on your person can be shared among each other. Thick evergreen branches can be used for roofing. Alternatively, you can hunker down in a cave instead.

Most significantly, you can trek to an abandoned cabin containing some prechopped firewood that you can take, as well as an iron pot hanging over the cold hearth. Don't linger in the cabin too long, however. The more you stay, the more it feels like something is watching you. In the shadows, you spot two red eyes flickering in and out. You can't tell what this strange creature is, nor will it stop you from retrieving the few things you need, but eventually, the cabin's door will slowly open on its own, sending a clear message: it's time to leave.

Living Forest

Contrary to its name, the Living Forest is filled with seemingly dead trees. Like the Duskwoods, not much light penetrates, casting your surroundings in a dark gloom. Unlike the Duskwoods, it contains no giant mushrooms. Instead, the ground itself is covered in a thick moss, making every step you take feel as though you're walking upon a layer of marshmallows. Hidden in the moss itself are small vipers waiting to strike, each bite containing a venom that numbs the affected limb for several hours. Hazards are made all the more difficult to see due to the lack of light. While not pitch-black, the forest is gloomy and shrouded in a dark haze.

Those who've been to the Feywilds might not recognize where they are at first, but as you travel, you might notice something familiar: bright green and blue pear-shaped cocoons. Dozens of them hang from branches above you and will soon give birth to the aggressive spindled pear moths. As you study them, they begin to twitch, as if close to hatching. Maybe you shouldn't stay in this area too long...

Characters in this scenario will go to THE FEYWILDS.

Threats

◎ Strange Travelers

As you explore the murky woods, some of the trees shift oddly. You realize they aren't trees at all. Instead, they are figures on stilts, wandering in an endless circle. They do not speak. They are utterly silent.

One of them is holding a human-like infant. The child is also silent. While they won't actively threaten you, they have defended their territory with blinking mines stuck to trees and laid along the ground. The smooth steel and oddly modern lights imply a technology that far exceeds what should exist in Abraxas. Further, the mines don't seem to be powered by any magic at all.

Walk too close to a mine and you'll set it off, releasing a gas that knocks you unconscious. When you wake up, you'll have been dumped someplace far from where you were and must reorient yourself - if you can. Your belongings are untouched and you have no injuries beyond a few bruises or scrapes. It seems these Travelers aren't seeking to harm anyone unnecessarily, but they clearly want to be left alone.

◎ Flytraps

Massive Venus flytrap plants are one of the few plants that appear to flourish in these forests. The plant is difficult to spot in the dim light. Its vines will lash your ankles and trip you, then drag you toward its gaping maw. Its mouth is lined with sharp teeth and a corrosive spit that will burn your skin, eventually dissolving you into a paste. They're most prone to attack if you're carrying something that smells tasty: rations, freshly hunted meat, or foraged mushrooms.

Fortunately, the plants aren't too difficult to kill. A burst of magic or a few slashes from a sharp blade will release you. Still, in a situation such as this, even a twisted ankle or an infected cut could make a difference in your survival. Try to avoid the plants where possible.

Resources

As you explore the Living Forest, you might stumble across an abandoned garden that hasn't been harvested and is in full bloom as if it's spring. A variety of vegetables such as carrots, onions, and cabbages can be found, as well as some herbs for wounds and potions. The area shimmers with Seelie Magic. When you examine the crops closer, you realize that some of the garden is beginning to wilt and rot as the magic fades before your very eyes. A sign of what lies in the Feywilds, it would seem that all things Fey have left this realm altogether, leaving behind only remnants of their diminishing spells.

You can freely harvest the garden. None of the crops appear to be dangerous and the garden looks truly abandoned. However, you'll need to work quickly. The magic won't last until sunrise, so take what you can - you won't have the opportunity to return. Of course, don't overburden yourself, either, or attract predators with what you're carrying.

Open Ocean

Your arrival in the ocean will be more of a shock than the others as you splash into the water. Curiously, though it's still winter, the water isn't as cold as you might expect. It's almost unnaturally warm. As you struggle to stay afloat, the current begins to push you toward something floating in the distance: a large raft covered in moss. It resembles a small land mass, floating in the open sea, with a small curve like a hill or a hump...or the shell of a turtle.

It's possible a few of your fellow Summoned have already found refuge atop the creature's back or you might be among the first. Regardless, you'll want to help search for the others...and the island itself appears to be searching with you. Summoned who have been around a while might remember the Sea Giants who have come to your aid more than once. This may be yet another friendly Sea Giant - not quite the turtle some of you previously met, but perhaps a relative or a friend.

While the creature will try its best to keep you afloat, stormy winds and tall waves will still violently rock the living raft and may sweep away those who aren't careful. Make sure you hang on tight to the vines growing along the surface.

Characters in this scenario will go to THE NETHER.

Threats

◎ Leviathan Attack

Though leviathans are a predictable threat in the ocean, it doesn't make them any less dangerous. Appearing in all shapes and sizes, the one that rises from the water in the dead of night is difficult to discern: you glimpse massive teeth and glowing yellow eyes that, from a distance, resembles the blinking signal of a lighthouse. The leviathan will attack the creature who serves as your raft, who will struggle to defend itself.

You can help in any manner you wish. Attacking the leviathan or casting wards will aid the friendly turtle. While the leviathan is not easy to deter, it can be driven away if faced with enough aggression and will eventually leave in search of easier prey. Don't lose anyone overboard. Any Summoned who falls into the water while the leviathan is attacking will be swallowed up. Avoid its thrashing tail spikes, too.

◎ Aggressive Seabirds

More of a nuisance than a threat, seabirds are a constant menace, squawking day and night and attempting to steal rations, clothes, and other supplies that might be left unattended on the raft. These birds are quick and massive, swooping in and disappearing in an instant. They won't attack without provocation, but anyone trying to take back their belongings will find themselves assaulted by beating wings and sharp talons.

You can chase them off with rocks, sharp objects, or small spells. Supplies can also be warded, but with many people's magic working oddly, the wards might not last as long as they should or may backfire if struck too often by the birds. It may be a good idea to touch up the wards or assign someone to guard your things the old-fashioned way.

Resources

After a rough night, you'll awaken to discover that your raft has brought you to a small island. It's unclear where this island is from or whether anyone has ever mapped it, but nonetheless, the island exists. More importantly, it contains crabs and mussels that can be dug up. You can also find, inexplicably, some coconuts. Possibly bespelled by a Thornean mage who washed ashore in the past, these coconut trees have continued to flourish for decades, if not centuries.

You won't be able to spend long on the island. As the tide rises, more and more of the island begins to disappear. Soon, the water will swallow it up altogether and you'll be forced to board the creature's back again with your findings. Don't get greedy. If you linger too long, your efforts might be washed away with the tide.

Rescue

As your resources dwindle and your situation grows more dire, a glimmer will shine in the distance. You peer at it, curious and, perhaps, a bit anxious. Is it another threat? Is it a rescue? Or is it something else altogether?

Please wait for the WRAP-UP before proceeding to write your character being rescued. Full details will be provided on the Wrap-Up that will help inform what your character will be doing in March, including which NPCs your character will be seeing and the exact manner in which your character will be rescued.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes ma'am.

[Hold on. Follow orders. He's got this. It doesn't feel like it's helping anything, except to make him colder. Now the wind is blasting, it feels like it's cutting into the space between his plating, in and under his scales. But he makes himself focus. Makes himself watch what she's doing.]

[Steam? Since when - ]

I think I'm hallucinating. [He stammers it out from his clenched jaw. Any other situation, he'd be making a joke about how he knew she was hot before. It's only the lack of energy, the need to stay still and conserve warmth, that keeps him from actually doing it.]

[But he needs no further urging to pull the clothes back on. As many as are dried. And slowly, steadily, his shaking eases. Honestly, it's hard not to groan in sheer relief.]

[The hardest is the coat. It's carrying the most water, thick fur and felted against the weather. But Shepard has never been a pushover, and she pulls on that internal well of power until—]

Done. [She feels like she could fall over. That trick... that isn't going to scale. And now Shepard does feel the cold, shivering against the wind and breathing through the exertion.] Alright. Damn.

[He's already looking so much better.]

...C-c'mere. [Or rather, help her up, or down, or whatever. Body-heat, right? She could use a little herself.] Better?

[As he stops shuddering, feeling returning to his limbs, it's easier to focus on what she's going. And it's... it's really impressive. She was already incredible, in his not so humble opinion. But this? She's really taken to the magic here, hasn't she?]

[But he needs no further prompting to reach out. Pull her over to where he'd found a space to hunker down. There's so much to him - lanky limbs and bulk - it's easy to wrap around her. Now that his brain cells have thawed out.]

Now it is. [A beat. While he's getting himself pieced together, it's still difficult to put things to words. So all that comes is a low, deeply grateful:] Thanks.

[Shepard prides herself on her toughness, physical or otherwise. But right now, after so long staring into the dark, wondering if she'd see him again or if this month would mean a separation of years, stealing hours in Nocwich or other midway-points, fighting the various governments for possession of someone who belonged more to her command, her crew, her damned heart, than any petty bullshit any of them had a hand in...

...She's cold, and exhausted, and she missed him like a lost limb. The way he just folds up around her is a homecoming, and Shepard allows herself the weakness to simply lean into him, to close her eyes and seek only comfort for a moment. Only warmth.]

Missed you.

[She whispers it, as if it were a secret. She's been pissy enough these past few weeks, it certainly isn't]

[If there's anyone who's used to seeing her at the lowest, at not judging her in the slightest for it, it's him. Shepard means the universe to him, but she's human. She's a person. She's got limits.]

[And he missed her. Terribly. The only solution is to curl and fold around her, like that's going to stop any further distance. Like the world is going to try and force them apart again and so help it if it tries.]

Yeah. Me too. [More than anything.] Was a little worried I'd have to smuggle myself back.

[She makes a soft, amused sound at that.] Yeah?

I'd've met you at the border. What the Major doesn't know won't hurt him.

[She feels the way his arms tighten around her, the way he curls in just that littlest bit more, and reaches up with one hand to place it against the hide of his neck. It's still cold, too damned cold but warmer now between the fur ruff and his scales. She leaves her hand there, hoping some measure of whatever it is that powers her internal heat will leech into him as well.]

Lucky us, it turns out Abraxas likes us best together. Or whatever the hell it was that caused this. [Probably the Singularity, that's usually a safe target on which to heap blame.] So I guess I'm stuck with you.

Yeah. [Amusement is good on her.] I told you. I was staying with you. I meant it.

[Nothing is getting between them. Not this place. Not anyone in it. He'll fight as hard as he has to. Including the damned ocean. Of all the places to end up in... But that thought fades, feeling her fingers, her palm, on his scales. There are familiar calluses there, familiar warmth. He can't help the low hum of appreciation.]

What the hell was that... [While he knows Shepard won't have any more answers than he does, he has to ask.] That pulse before everything went to hell.

Who knows? Singularity seems most likely, but something doesn't feel right about it.

[Shepard hates that sense of intuition; it's so often right, and so often terrible.]

Discipline in the army's gone to shit; everybody's nervous. One mistaken weapon's discharge... [It had better damn well be mistaken] ...Mob mentality takes over. Great time for an ambush, I have to say.

Whenever we all get back to civilization, I'd bet there'll be war starting up over it.

Nothing about that thing is right...

[It's grumbled, one of those statements of his that are more tangible than audible. Especially draped over her like he is. That Singularity always rubbed him the wrong way. Now look at this.]

And before that... the pulse. Did you feel that too? [Could that have sparked it all? Then why weren't they affected? Why - ]

[Ugh, that's too much thought for his brain right now.] Great. More war. Just what we wanted.

Yeah. I did.

[And it had been electric, almost calling them, to step into the crater. Thinking back...]

The whole delegation got swallowed up by the crater. [And the natives among them were shredded by it, just like every other Abraxas-born fool who ever set foot in it.] It expanded too fast for them to escape.

[And if it was too fast to escape, no clear report would have made it hope. Which means that the people back home would be free to make up whatever story they wanted about what happened there... to suit whatever purposes they liked.]

In that future world, Free Cities got kinda... Turian. [Expansionist, militaristic, with not a small whiff of dictatorship.] Might be this is the trigger. Marlo's already been doing whatever it takes to take and keep power— and if this ain't a state of emergency, what the hell is? Fuckin' politicians.

[She's so, so tired. Shepard closes her eyes and tilts her head sideways until it can rest against the jutting edge of his sterum, or keelbone, or whatever Turians call it. Comforting, is what it is; the hard-edged solidity of him, cool and soothing against her fevered cheek.]

Above my damn paygrade now, glad to say.

[He shudders. Whether it's from the chill or from the memory of that pulse, he's honestly not too sure.]

None of them got out... [It's probably meant to be something of a question. But it doesn't come out that way. Somehow, that feels - that feels wrong. Everything had been calm enough before that pulse. People seemed to be civil, like things were going to turn out. And then? He shakes his head.]

Great. [He snorts.] Duck one Hierarchy, end up in a worse one. At least back home, the new Primarch had a history on the ground. Instead of behind a desk.

[That's... about all he can say without thinking too hard about the state of things. Without distracting himself from the warmth offered. His breathing still feels rough, thick, but the body heat helps.]

Yeah. Mine too.

[She's worried about him. Garrus wasn't kidding when he'd said there was no swimming for Turians, and Shepard had believed him, but... It was one thing to understand it academically, and another to witness it in action. When it was Garrus himself doing the drowning...]

You feeling any better?

[She isn't sure how she'll cope, if he can't make it through this. Or, well— she has some ideas. None of them are good.]

A lot.

[It's a truthful answer, despite everything. He's not feeling great, but definitely better than freezing and drowning. It's got to get better, right? Provided they can get out of the ocean and back on dry land.]

[He presses his forehead to the back of her shoulder.] I'll be fine. Thanks to you.

[It's a familiar pressure, like the way they'd sleep, back at base. Never enough cushions to replicate something actually comfortable to a Turian, but they learned how to compensate. A little more of the tension drops out of Shepard's spine. Alright. They can do this.]

Yeah, you weren't kidding when you said Turians can't swim.

[Impulse seizes her and Shepard reaches for his hand. It's cold, still, the extremities the last to get the memo about body-heat, but Shepard's not bothered.]

Hah.

[It's more a sharp puff of sound than it is a real laugh. But hey, it's the thought that counts. When he feels the tension start to ease, he holds on a little tighter, in hopes to spur it along more.]

[Her hands are so, so warm. And he threads three fingers into five easily.]

Flailing with occasional drowning... glad it still holds true.

I'd prefer you float, personally.

[Time passes. The island— the turtle rows its flippers without a care for time or weather. The storm eventually soaks them all, a stinging beat-down of icy rain that has them all soaked, and then laid out to dry in the salt-rime sun, afterwards. She tries her heat-drying trick again, and is more surprised than she should be to find herself nearly fainting with the effort, her reserves spent.

By the next day Shepard is baked to burning, under the sun and ready to drink seawater, just to feel something. She can barely stand, by the time the island comes into view: even for an N7, this level of over-extension and deprivation was pushing the limits. But those are coconut trees, and that means coconut water, and food.]

[He tries to tell her to hold back. To tell her it's not necessary. They can make it through the storm, dry out naturally. But, it's Shepard, and no one can ever tell her what to do.]

[So he's one of the first off the turtle, onto the island. One of the first to take direction on what is and isn't edible here. Coconuts for liquid. Roasted shellfish for food. Gathering what he can carry into one of the cloaks he'd been wearing.]

Here. They said you can drink this - [Take the coconut, Shepard. Two people can be stubborn.]

[She'd insisted that she was fine, dammit, and he knew that she was. Probably. But the swaying of the shell under their back, and the crackling, peeling annoyance of her skin, and... maybe she was just tired, shut up.

Maybe.

But she accepts the coconut with what little grace she has, which isn't much. He's peeled it with his talons, cracked it open on who-knows-what and for a minute or two the absurdity doesn't even occcur to her. The water inside is just... so sweet. A whole damn bowlful, and she could have drunk twenty.]

...Thanks. [She's not done being stubborn, though.] What about you?

Take it slow. There's more, promise.

[He absolutely did rip it open with a rock and his talons. He'd kill for a decent clip and file right now, but this'll have to do. And he sits there, watching, well, like a hawk, until she finishes.]

I don't dehydrate fast as you. [Another coconut.] Besides... I also wasn't using magic biotics this whole trip.

[Please, is unsaid. Just take care of yourself.]

[Shepard isn't about to complain about his grooming habits, given the circumstances; hell, they're beneficial. Not that she's ever inclined to complain in other circumstances either...

She takes the second more slowly, and scrapes a bite of the coconut flesh with her teeth. It's strange, how having a little water and a bite can restore your clarity; he might've had a point about overdoing it with the magic.]

...You scared me. [There, she said it. Happy, now?] I know we're both soldiers, and we have to accept that it could happen at any point, but. I don't know.

Won't happen again. [Liar.] Much.

[There will be a better time and place for that kind of circumstance, Shepard...]

[And now is not that time. He's hunkered down beside her. Making sure she's getting the liquid and food down. Maybe it's overkill. Maybe he shouldn't hover like this. But, in the same token, she'd worried him, too.]

If it's any consolation, I generally know better than to go swimming. [There's warmth in the words, a low vibration apologizing and reassuring at the same time.] I don't want you pushing yourself like that for me.

I... can't say I wouldn't do the same, but. If we're airing things out.

[Shepard rolls her eyes and chuckles. She'd like to be annoyed at that, but they're pretty far beyond don't take a bullet for me territory, here. Alliance regulation protocols and Heirarchy code standards haven't just gone lax in the two-and-change years they've been here, they've gone straight to hell.]

You know I'm pretty sure I should be pissed about that, but honestly, I'm just grateful I'm not the only one who's scared. I guess nobody ever fell in love without being a little brave.

[And maybe that's just how it goes when you don't know if you'll lose somebody tomorrow, or if you'll have them for the next thousand years— or more. Shepard never wanted to live forever, but it wouldn't be so bad, as long as she had him there to keep her grounded.]

How the hell we're getting out of this one, though... I don't know, Garrus. But hey, at least when we get back, they can't nail us for going AWOL, the way the Alliance would.

[She doesn't think much of the Free Cities army discipline, even now. But it's a living.]

[At this point, he doesn't know how not to worry about her. Everything she throws herself headlong into, the risks she takes - sure, he gets it. He does love that about her. But he's never not going to worry.]

You make it sound so poetic when you put it like that. [Logically, he knows they should be less... dramatically attached. It's always the risk you run, in their line of work.]

This boat's going somewhere. It's brought us to a couple islands already... like it knows what we need. Any other time, I'd say that sounded crazy, but here? Hell, it might just really know. [Which is about as optimistic as he's going to get at the moment.] But the idea of not being tried for running off is definitely a bonus.

It's like the last time, after the pit. Do you remember how I told you we washed out to sea?

[And were picked up by a miniature moving platform on the back of a turtle? That had been a real turning point in her time on Abraxas.]

Maybe this thing is some kind of minor god. [The way they used to... would one day... Have been? Whatever.] Or a pet of one. It's definitely intelligent enough to know what to do if we're nearby.

I... don't remember a lot of that, if we're being honest here.

[He'd been freezing, out of it, and isolated. Barely holding together after seemingly being separated from someone important.]

Something like this picked you up? [Huh. Maybe she's onto something here. He fidgets a bit, breaking open his own fruit, finally.] Or maybe someone sent it.

(no subject)

earthborn - 2025-02-27 19:34 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

thearchangel - 2025-02-28 06:40 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only